1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the treatment of glaucoma.
2. The Prior Art
In an article by one of us (Shapiro) entitled "The Ocular Manifestations of the Cannabinols" in Ophthalmologica 168: 366-369 (1974), the ocular effects, including decreased intraocular pressure, manifested by the long term use of marijuana were noted.
In September, 1974 applicants orally presented the results of certain investigations leading to this invention at a meeting of the Swiss Opthalmological Society in Interlaken, Switzerland. These results were subsequently published in Ophthalmologica 172: 122-127 (1976).
Finally, in the Nov. 8, 1976 issue of Newsweek, at page 53, there appeared an article which states, inter alia, that "Researchers have known for several years that marijuana relieves the main symptom of glaucoma: pressure within the eye due to improper drainage of optic fluid". To the best of our knowledge, researchers have not known this for several years and in fact, it is we who first discovered and reported this fact, in Ophthalmologica 172: 122-127 (1976).